Miasma
by flintyminty25
Summary: Kakashi is excelling in his first year at the Academy and Sakumo couldn't be more proud. But, when a life-altering accident occurs, can they rebuild everything that's been lost before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Miasma

...

"What am I going to do with you?" Sakumo laughed. A bemused smile brightened his eyes as he pulled an armful of squirming four-year-old snugly to his chest.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kakashi suggested with a helpless giggle.

"Hmm," Sakumo tilted his head back in a moment of apparent consideration, "Nope! Don't think I like the sound of that, sorry." Kakashi squealed when the hands at his sides twitched into sudden motion, tickling over his sensitive ribs and belly.

"This is _much _too fun."

Sakumo chuckled as his son twisted about wildly in his arms, trying to escape his tickling fingers. Suddenly, with a dramatic lunge, the toddler broke free of his restraints and slipped bodily out of his father's lap. Tripping over one of Sakumo's crossed legs, the small child tumbled to the wooden floor with a loud thump, landing flat on his face.

Sakumo startled, his eyes growing wide at the sudden stillness of his toddler's sprawled form.

"Kakashi!" he cried out, reaching for his son's limp body-

-only to find his face suddenly caught on each side by a pair of little hands when the boy twisted around under him. Kakashi grinned mischievously up at Sakumo's stunned expression, squishing the famed jounin's cheeks together.

"You look like a fish, daddy."

Sakumo blinked, his lips puffed and eyes widened in unabashed surprise.

"Why you..." his brow furrowed darkly.

The little imp, sensing imminent retribution, moved to scramble out from under him, a loud squeal bursting forth. Sakumo caught hold of a tiny ankle just before it could scamper out of reach. An amused smirk curled his lips as he slowly tugged his captive back. He chuckled darkly.

"Noooooo!" Kakashi's scream was more a delighted trill of laughter than any real noise of fear, his scrunched up expression closer to a grin than any cringe of terror. His pudgy, dimpled hands slid helplessly over the polished wooden floor before him as he was dragged back. He shook his head wildly, tufty white locks fluffing with the frantic motion.

"Don't eat meeee!"

"Eat you?" Sakumo's baritone rose in surprise, "Oh, but that's the best idea I've ever heard!"

He growled as hunched over the small child, an exaggerated frown darkening his brow. He pretended to sniff over his freshly-captured meal, his face a mask of grim consideration.

Kakashi stilled his squirming, his soft grey eyes widening in a rare moment of startled uncertainty.

"Hmmm," Sakumo took a deep sniff of his son's downy white hair, "Which part of you should I eat first?"

"Should I..." he drew out the word, leaning back to peer down at his toddler's now-worried face in apparent scrutiny, "Eat your toes!" Kakashi squeaked and wriggled when Sakumo suddenly bent over him and captured both of his bare feet in one hand. The child's small squeak erupted into a shriek of laughter when Sakumo pressed his lips against the thin pads of Kakashi's feet and blew a loud raspberry.

"Or maybe," the White Fang growled again, his lips quirking into a grin despite himself, "I should eat your ears first!" He peppered his son's tiny ears with kisses, tickling a loud squeal out of the child as the toddler ducked and squirmed.

"Would _that _teach you a lesson, then?" he chuckled, his eyes creasing as he smiled down at his son, "Huh?"

Kakashi, his lips pressed firmly together over a smile that was clearly struggling to break free, quickly shook his head.

"No?" Sakumo sat back, pretending to be stunned, "No! Well then I guess," his dark eyes narrowed in a menacing smile, "I'll just have to eat _all _of you!" Kakashi's eyes lit up expectantly at this and his cheeks dimpled in a breathless grin.

A peal of laughter burst forth as Sakumo hunched over the small child and proceeded to tickle every inch of him with punishing swiftness.

"T-Tou-san!" Kakashi gasped out. Tears brimmed in the corners of his dark eyes and spilled out over his flushed cheeks.

Sakumo had never seen anything more adorable.

Finally, when his son's shrieked giggles had faded into a soundless string of breathlessly mouthed words, Sakumo released him from his torture. He sat back and chuckled, watching bemusedly as Kakashi gasped and whimpered to himself, spreading his limbs loosely out over the polished floor.

Sakumo tried to feel a little guilty; knowing how unfair it was to tickle the boy when there was no way the small child could retaliate. So, he smiled and sat back, deciding to give his son some time to recover.

As he was pulling away, the little boy fisted his hands around the fingers of Sakumo's retreating hand and tugged it back to himself, nuzzling his face into his father's rough palm.

Warm puffs of air tickled against his calloused skin as Kakashi giggled childishly. Sakumo blinked slowly. A soft smile spread over his face.

It was moments like these that made him remember what a precious blessing Kakashi was to him.

That someone, as worn and jaded as himself, could have ever done something to warrant having someone so precious in his life was unimaginable. He had seen too much, done too much to ever be deserving of such pure-hearted affection.

"Tou-san?" the sound of Kakashi's small voice brought him out of his musings. Sakumo shook his head and looked down to see one of Kakashi's soft grey eyes blinking up at him questioningly through a gap in his fingers.

"Are you sad?"

Sakumo smiled.

He scooped the child up off the floor and swung him in a playful arc by means of an answer. He buried his face in the child's wild tufty hair and playfully nuzzled his nose into the white downy mess, earning an excited yelp from the toddler.

"Who said anything about being sad, neh?"

Kakashi's hands reached up to pat at his father's cheeks happily, his dark eyes creasing up at Sakumo in a warm expression that he recognized as one that often crossed over his own face. Sakumo chuckled and captured the toddler's wandering hands in one of his own. He pressed a kiss to the wiggling digits.

"Now it's time for you to go to bed."

"Awwww."

Sakumo turned on his heel and stepped up the stairs to Kakashi's bedroom, smirking at the sleepy yawn that interrupted his son's plaintive whining.

Getting his little wild-child to bed had become a comfortable part of the White Fang's daily routine. They would have dinner and then Kakashi would scamper off and find entertainment, by one means or another, while he washed the dishes. He would retire to read a lazy book or work on a half-written mission-report, warning Kakashi that it would soon be time to get ready for bed. He would encounter no resistance when he asked his son to wrap up whatever he was doing, and not even a pout would surface at the order to brush teeth.

But, as sure as the sky was blue, the moment Kakashi had rinsed and spit, the young genius was off-squealing and scampering away from Sakumo's outstretched arms in a fit of childish rebellion.

Sakumo had quickly realized that the best way to handle this wild streak of defiance, in a way that was satisfying to both Hatakes, was to lumber after his small child, grunting and growling like some great monster, capture him, and tickle him into submission.

... He realized that this may not have been the most easy or the most logical method—but, if shedding his dignified persona for a couple of minutes every night was what it took to get his son to sleep then he would do it gladly.

A hyper Kakashi at three in the morning was just something that no man, shinobi or not, could ever have a hope of controlling.

The White Fang was just about to tease his son for the sleepy drooping of his eyes, when the doorbell rang.

Sakumo paused, halfway up the stairs. Kakashi jerked to sitting position in his arms, his face brightening.

_Great, _Sakumo's shoulders slumped at the excited expression of his son, _All that hard work and he's back up like a dandelion._

"Who's that?" Kakashi's voice was light with curiosity.

Sakumo sighed and let the toddler wiggle out of his arms and drop to the floor. He shrugged helplessly to himself and trudged back down the stairs after his enthusiastic child.

_No use trying to tuck him in now..._

He strolled smoothly across the wooden floor to the front door, seemingly oblivious to the urgent pawing of his child's outstretched fingertips along the underside of the doorknob. A gentle knocking echoed out softly, followed by a ring of louder, more boisterous knocks from the bottom half of the door.

Kakashi froze in his attempt to open the door, mid tip-toe.

Sakumo chuckled, a bemused smirk twisting his face as the pale face of his son turned and regarded him over his shoulder with wide, pleading eyes.

No doubt Kakashi had figured out the identities of their unexpected visitors just as he had, by the familiarity of their knocks.

But, judging by the expression of terror on his young face, the white-haired protegee was all for ignoring their guests and hopping right into bed without a complaint.

Sakumo strolled to a stop and shook his head, crossing his arms expectantly over his chest as he watched his son. Kakashi quickly moved his back to the door, spreading his arms and legs out as if he could block the large wooden frame from view. He shook his head desperately up at his father.

"Now, Kashi..." Sakumo found himself grinning, "It isn't nice to keep our guests waiting."

He stepped smoothly around him, chuckling to himself at his son's uncharacteristic anxiety, and pulled the door open.

Natsuko Mitarashi, the single mother who lived in a small country-house a couple miles down the forest road, and her little girl, Anko, smiled brightly back at him from the door-mat.

Kakashi slunk quietly behind him.

"Natsuko-san," Sakumo bowed his head, his brows lifting in surprise, "What brings you here at this time?"

It wasn't rare for the retired kunoichi to come over to visit, but it was definitely unusual for her to be visiting so late. The soft chirping of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl sounded over the steadily darkening forest around them, the dull orange glow of hovering fireflies pulsing against the bruised backdrop of dusk.

Sakumo quickly scanned her expression for any tell-tale signs of distress. Her warm brown gaze was calm and steady as always, but her smile seemed a little strained. The White Fang covered up the small twinge of concern that plucked through him at this by bowing again and stepping aside to let them in.

Anko tumbled into the foyer, a wide grin breaking out over her face, her brown eyes bright with excitement as she scanned the interior of the household.

Small hands clenched tightly in the material of Sakumo's pants leg behind him.

"Where's Kakashi-kun?" she chirped, her expression slipping into one of innocent confusion as she tilted her head back to look at him. Sakumo fought to keep an amused smile from spreading over his face.

"He's right here, Anko-chan." There was a short scuffle as Kakashi tried and failed to remain hidden behind his father's leg when Sakumo took a prominent step to the side.

"Why don't you say hello, Kashi?" he nudged the boy forwards lightly, unable to fully mask his entertained grin. Natsuko chuckled quietly behind her hand.

Kakashi stood stiffly. His dark eyes flitted up to Anko's toothy grin and then quickly shot back down to his bare toes.

"Hello." he mumbled sullenly.

A delighted trill of giggles burst out at his less than excited response. Anko sprang forwards; her eyes squinted in mirthful pleasure, and caught Kakashi around his waist with her short arms. The force of her hug knocked him onto his bottom, and the white-haired boy let out a yelp of surprise. Anko, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, nuzzled her cheek against his.

"I missed you, Kakashi-kun!"

"Ick." he made a face, squirming, "Dad!"

"It's so cute how much they like each other." Sakumo's eyes creased happily as he smiled at Natsuko, overlooking his son's plaintive cry.

"Hey!" Kakashi yelled in alarm when Anko pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to his ear, "Get off me!"

"They get along so well too," Natsuko shook her head in apparent wonderment, "When I told the kids that I needed to stop by the Hatake's, she insisted on coming with me."

The two parents watched the toddlers squabbling on the floor for a moment, smiling peacefully at the adorable sight.

Kakashi shoved the palm of his hand into Anko's nose, pushing her smile away.

"Alright," Sakumo stepped forwards and separated the two children, setting them both back onto their feet, "Why don't you go play with Anko in your room, Kashi? Me and Natsuko-san have some grown-up things to discuss."

Kakashi just managed to send him a betrayed, fearful expression over his shoulder before Anko grabbed the boy's wrist and whisked him away up the stairs.

Sakumo chuckled, turning back to Anko's mother.

"I'll never understand why Kakashi is so shy around her; Anko-chan seems like such a sweet little girl."

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

"Ow!" Kakashi cringed, clutching his head, "What was that for?"

Why did she always hit him?

"Don't be a baby." Anko ignored him and strolled through his room. She picked up a stray toy that had never found its way into the toy chest and glanced at it imperiously. Kakashi's eyes flickered to his bedroom door and then back to Anko, torn.

Did he dare make a run for it while she was distracted?

More importantly, did he really think it was a good idea to leave her alone in his room with all of his stuff?

Before he could make up his mind, Anko had tossed the small toy carelessly over her shoulder. Kakashi stumbled forward and scooped the small action-figure to his chest, watching the girl with an apprehensive stare as she traipsed around his room.

"What's this suppohsed to be?" she crossed her arms over her chest like an art critic, peering shrewdly at a crayon-scribbled drawing taped up on the wall.

"That's Toru." Kakashi dropped his toy, a pleased smile washing over his previously worried expression, "He's my pet turtle-" He started excitedly.

"You don't have a pet turtle." Anko informed him disdainfully.

Kakashi frowned and opened his mouth.

"And he's ugly." She cut him off, turning back to his picture with an exaggerated look of disgust, "Look! He's got five legs."

"That's his tail!" Kakashi stepped between her and his picture, raising his arms protectively as if he could block the two-dimensional animal from Anko's harsh words.

"Don't be dumb." She jabbed her finger into his chest just like she'd seen her mom do to her last boyfriend, "You've prolly never even seen a turtle."

For a moment Kakashi looked startled, cowering back as she stepped up to him. And then, quite suddenly, a sly, dismissive look came over his face.

"Well, if you don't want to see him…"

This seemed to throw Anko. She stepped back, and now her own face was creased with a frown.

"You don't really have a turtle." She fell back to her tone of accusation, but a lilt of curiosity slipped in unbidden.

The young boy shrugged in a decidedly mysterious manner, casting a grim look at her over his shoulder as he stalked over to his closet.

"He's in here." Kakashi looked at her gravely, his little hand curling around the door-knob.

Anko's eyes widened and she stepped forward delicately, an uncharacteristic rush of nervousness filling her. Why did he look so serious?

"It's not a snapping turtle is it?" she whispered. Kakashi looked at her.

"He's a magical turtle."

Anko looked up from the spot on the closet door she had been staring at anxiously, her brown eyes wide at this revelation.

She quickly collected herself.

"No he's not." But her voice was hushed, expectant.

"He is," Kakashi nodded sagely, "He's magic and he's real."

The little girl gasped and her chubby hands fisted in her skirt with amazement. Kakashi shushed her, and she instinctively took a step closer to his side when he turned the knob and started prying open the door.

Suddenly, Anko got nervous.

"Wait!" she grabbed onto his elbow tightly, "You're not just gonna open it are you? What if we make him mad?"

Kakashi's brows rose in apparent surprise, evidently he had not thought of this. He quickly released the doorknob.

"We need to pray to him." He turned to her, his gray eyes flashing with a hint of something that might have been excitement. Anko gripped his sleeve tighter, a heavy lump of dread filling her stomach.

"I don't know if that's-"

"You need to pray to him!" Kakashi was grinning now, his eyes wide, "He doesn't like me 'cause I caught him. You gotta do it!"

Anko shrunk back; he really looked like a lunatic with those wild eyes and that mussed hair.

"But," she found herself stuttering, put on the spot, "I dunno what to say!"

"Just ask him not to eat us."

She stared at him, seriously worried now. Kakashi seemed to notice her apprehension, for he took his little hand and laid it gently on her shoulder, fixing his dark gaze somberly on her.

"Anko-chan…" he whispered, the epitome of seriousness, "Nobody else could pray to the turtle like you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Anko straightened, emboldened by his words of commendation.

"Alright," she breathed in deeply through her nose, oblivious to the mischievous glint in Kakashi's eyes, "Let's do this."

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

"What happened?" is the only thing Sakumo can ask as he sits down at the small kitchen table across from Natsuko. She is leaning forwards, her elbows resting on the table. It's immediately clear to him that she must have been holding up a calm front for the sake of the children, and now that it was just the two of them she seemed to collapse in on herself. The strained smile that had greeted him at the doorway has all but vanished; in its place a deadened, weary look has drawn fine lines over her fair visage.

Sakumo watches as she runs a hand through her layered brown hair and lets out a long sigh, rubbing her temples, before answering.

"Suzuki Arata died on a mission this past weekend." Blunt.

Sakumo let his lids close slowly, a profound sort of dread welling up within him. Suzuki Arata. Dead.

Now he understood why Natsuko looked so exhausted.

"I didn't think that anyone had told you, seeing as how you just got back from a mission yourself, and I thought you'd want to know ahead of time so…"

He nodded, blinking a little dazedly at the grainy wooden surface of the table in front of him.

Suzuki Arata had been the village's top Academy Instructor for the last twelve years. A soft-spoken young man who had a knack for bringing out the best in others, his death would be a great loss to the village.

But to parents like Sakumo and Natsuko, whose children were currently enrolled in the academy, it meant a little more.

Natsuko's eight-year-old son, Mitarashi Ryota, was in the same class as Kakashi, and both had developed a strong affection for the mild-mannered Academy Instructor. No doubt the school would be forced to make an announcement tomorrow morning when all of the children showed up to class, expecting to see Suzuki Arata's kind face just like they did any other morning.

Well, this may have been fine for the rest of the students attending the academy, who might have experienced the death of a grandparent or family friend at this point in their life-

-But Kakashi was four years old.

Brilliant child prodigy or not, he was still little more than a baby.

Sakumo dipped his head forward and ran a hand through his spiky mane of silver hair, trying to think of a way to tell his toddler that one of the important adult figures in his life had been killed-that Kakashi was being sent to a school where he was essentially learning how to take a person's life, just like his teacher's life had been taken from him-and that more people that he knew and loved were going to be snatched away from him because of the rapidly approaching war.

There were no words.

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

_Surprise! Haha, I cannot believe how much I have been writing lately. Two new stories in two days-what am I thinking! _

_Oh well, at least I'm busy :) And I'm actually excited to write this! Toddler Kakashi! Yay! So cute._

_Please review and let me know what you all think!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Flinty_


	2. Chapter 2

Miasma

...

"Um, dear Mister..." Anko opened one eye and peered over at Kakashi uncertainly, "Dear Mister Turtle-"

"Toru!"

"Dear Toru-sama." she bowed her head and closed her eyes over her steepled hands, "Sorry if we're wakin' you up, but we really wanna... uh..."

"See you." Kakashi whispered, an expectant smile growing on his face as he watched her.

"We really wanna see you. And, we-cause you're magical!" she clasped her hands tightly against her chest, "So, please, please, please don't eat us."

She blinked her eyes and looked to the boy kneeling beside her, her expression slightly hesitant. He grinned widely at her, his dark eyes glittering, and gave her a thumbs up.

"Perfect! I knew you'd pray the best."

Anko felt a smile blooming on her own face. His enthusiasm was catching.

Kakashi suddenly jumped into the air and landed with a great stomp of his feet, his little hands clenched into fists of excitement.

"Great! Now all we gotta do..." he scampered over to the light-switch next to his bedroom door, tugged over his toy chest, and clambered onto it. He pushed himself onto his tip-toes and promptly flicked the switch, plunging the small bedroom into complete darkness.

Anko let out a sharp squeal, curling in on herself. Was he insane?

There was a small thump as Kakashi slid smoothly off the toy-chest and landed on the floor. As if the all-encompassing darkness didn't bother him at all.

"Kashi-kun!" she wailed, "Why don't you have a night-light...you're-you're so stupid!"

He chuckled low in his chest from behind her, a rushed, gleeful sound that sounded unexpectedly evil in the lurking darkness. She shrieked in alarm and whirled around, arms swinging wildly in terror. Her fist knocked into his temple.

"Ow!" He fell backwards onto his bottom with an audible thud, "Anko-chan! Why'd you do that?" he whined, surprising her.

"Cause you're a _ugly _little boy who doesn't have a night-light!" she said nastily.

She thought she heard a little whimper at this, but she turned away from him and crossed her arms firmly. It's not like she hit him that hard... right?

"Tou-san," he gasped, and Anko imagined he was holding back sobs, "said I don't need a night-light cause I'm a big boy."

Anko shuffled her feet uncomfortably, wondering if he was just pretending to be upset again. He did that sometimes, and she hated it when he made her look like she cared about him-which she didn't! She hmphed loudly.

"Well you don't sound like a big boy to me!"

A small hurt noise sounded behind her and she thought she could hear the faint rustling of clothing. Like he was hugging himself. In fact, she realized with a small trill of panic, he sounded like he might actually be crying.

"Kashi-kun?" she asked carefully, turning slowly back around to face him.

He said nothing, but continued to make those quiet, pitiful sounds that had her hands wringing together guiltily. What if she had really managed to hurt him this time?

She imagined her mother's disaproving face and felt her stomach twist with shame. Kakashi let out a muffled sob.

Feeling unsure, Anko began to shuffle forwards slowly, waving her hands in front of her so she didn't step on him. All she could think was, _he'd better not be faking!_

Her left hand brushed over something soft and fluffy that tickled the palm of her hand. Alarmed, she froze for a moment. And then she giggled loudly and began to pat his downy hair in earnest, forgetting to feel sympathetic or guilty for the possibly crying boy before her. His hair was so bouncy!

"You're like a kitty!" she exclaimed, thinking of the thin, fluffy fur on her neighbor's cat and how it felt like Kakashi's. She liked to feed it the beetles that crawled on her front porch.

Suddenly, her newly-dubbed "kitty" caught her wrist mid-pat. He shot his head back, drawing a wet trail of saliva over the palm of her hand with his tongue. He laughed.

"Ew!" she screamed in disgust, stomping her feet, "You're so gross!"

"Gotcha!" He cackled and, keeping his tight grip on her wrist, sprang back to his feet, "You should see your face."

"_You _can't see my face!"

Anko clenched her fists so as not to punch him again. She _knew _it. This _always _happened when she played with Kakashi. She'd bully him and then she'd feel bad-only to have him laugh in her face! Which of course, would only make her want to bully him more... It was an infuriating cycle.

He dragged her over to his closet, still chuckling.

"C'mon, if we don't hurry, we'll miss Toru."

Anko startled, she'd nearly forgotten about the magical turtle. A rush of anxiety swelled within her, snuffing out her previous anger like a gust of wind. Now that the moment was actually upon them she wasn't sure she was ready...

"Alright." he whispered gravely, his mood suddenly somber, "You go first."

"What?" she squeaked.

His hand on her wrist squeezed encouragingly, but he said nothing. A flutter of nerves trembled within her. Why did she have to go fist?

But in the end, she was more scared of looking like she was afraid in front of him than she was of the turtle.

There was a hushed creak as Kakashi pried the closet door open slowly, letting it swing open ominously before her. The room was silent with tension and she wondered if he was holding his breath like she was.

"Go in." he whispered.

She took one little step, and then two; but when she was almost completely inside her courage failed her and she whirled around. Her heart thudded.

"Why am I going first again?" her voice was high and nervous.

There was an ominous silence before he answered. Her stomach filled with dread.

"_Cause I'm a ugly little boy_." he whispered softly, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

He shut the door and locked it.

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

"I just..." Sakumo started, leaning forwards onto the table with his head in his hands, "I just don't know what to tell him. He's always been quick to learn, but... but there's no way for me to tell how much he actually understands."

He looked up pleadingly to Natsuko as if he could read the answer there in the weary lines of her face.

"I don't even know if I want him to really understand..."

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then chose not to and leaned back in her chair with a deflated sigh.

Suddenly a shrill scream interrupted the heavy silence between them, ringing and wrought with terror. There was a small thundering of footfalls on the staircase.

Sakumo and Natsuko both jumped to their feet in alarm, their chairs screeching against the wooden floor. They sped out of the small kitchen and into the hall, scanning for any sign of danger.

Kakashi looked down at them, his dark eyes frightened, from halfway down the staircase. His white hair was tousled and the creamy white skin of his left temple was red and swollen. He opened and closed his mouth several times, frozen mid-step with his hand curled around the banister.

Sakumo immediately relaxed, all of the tension seeping from his posture... He knew that face.

It really only meant one thing.  
><em><br>Caught_.

"Kakashi-kun." he said lightly, each syllable sounding almost musical. Kakashi's eyes widened, detecting danger.

"Tou-san." he nodded once, as if they were just now meeting for the fist time. Natsuko watched the exchange with mild amusement.

"I-"

"-You." Sakumo affirmed, raising his eyebows slightly.

"-I was," Kakashi visibly quailed as the two adults began to slowly advance up the stairs towards him, "I was going to-"

"-You were going to..."

"Going to-to," the boy's eyes darted around, as if looking for the rest of his sentence. Sakumo shook his head wryly, smart his child may be, but it would be many years before he could out-wit his old dad.

"I have to go potty!" Kakashi yelped, turning tail and shooting back up the stairway.

Sakumo caught him before he could reach the second landing.

This time there was no tickling, but Kakashi squirmed just the same.

"I really gotta go-"

"Hmmm," Sakumo glanced down at his pinned child speculatively, seemingly oblivious to the boy's valiant attempts for freedom, "I wonder where Anko-chan is..."

Kakashi froze in the middle of smearing his tongue over his father's forearm, grey eyes wide.

"Ah duhnno whayuh-" (I don't know where)

-A furious-sounding roar and the distinctive sound of rattling wood erupted loudly from behind the closed door beside them. Kakashi's bedroom.

Sakumo raised his brow and sent his son a mildly unimpressed look before rolling off him. _Really, one would think that the son of the White Fang would be genetically predisposed to resist all manner of interrogation... _Sakumo thought dryly.

_He's certainly predisposed to resist all manners of persuasion._

With an exasperated sigh, and a shared look of parental commiseration with Natsuko_, _Sakumo opened the door, flicked the light-switch on, and slipped inside. Natusko followed him in and Kakashi trailed reluctantly after her, fingers fiddling with a flap on his right pants pocket.

"Easy there, Anko-chan," Sakumo spoke calmly as he approached the rattling door, "I'm-"

"GET! ME! OUTTA HERE!"

With a quick flip of the lock and a sharp turn of his wrist, Sakumo opened the closet door. Anko came barreling out, rolling over herself with the force of her exit.

Natsuko quickly pulled the little girl to her feet, dusting her off and subtly checking her for any injuries.

"What happened, baby?" She pulled the red-faced toddler in for a comforting hug, running her hand through ruffled brunette locks.

At the sound of her mother's voice and the warm cradle of her arms, Anko's ferocious expression crumbled into a look of utter anguish. Her bottom lip wobbling and her eyes shining with held-back tears, she raised a quivering finger and pointed it accusingly towards the little boy hanging back by the doorway.

"There-there wasn't any turtle!"

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

"I'm really sorry about this..." Sakumo chuckled from the front porch, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "I don't know what came over him."

Anko looked like she was going to tell him exactly what did come over little Kakashi, but her mother just smiled serenely and slipped her hand around her daughter's mouth.

"That's alright," she said with a deliberate look to the young girl in her arms, "I get the feeling he wasn't the only one. And," she leaned in conspiratorially to whisper in his ear, "it was probably good for her. She can be a bit of a bully."

She smiled and turned to walk away, but his voice stopped her.

"Natsuko-san?"

She paused but did not turn around.

"Thanks."

The word rang heavily in the hushed night around them. She nodded once and then made her way across the stepping stones lining the garden path.

Sakumo watched them walk away into the night, the faint sound of a whistled melody coming back to him and fading slowly into the darkness. When he could put it off no more, he turned on his heel and retreated back into his house, closing the door firmly behind him.

He stalked through the hall and turned into the dimly lit living room quietly. Kakashi was there waiting for him, sitting perched on the edge of the low table that they drank tea at sometimes. Soft gray eyes, iridescent and bright with guilt, slid up slowly to meet his when he stepped into the room.

Immediately, at the sight of his breath-taking wife's eyes looking up at them from the down-turned face of his child, the heat of his anger cooled a couple gradients.

_Damn those eyes-how am I supposed to punish him when he looks at me like that?_

Feeling suddenly very exhausted, Sakumo sighed and made a vague motion with his hand.

"Get down from there..."

Kakashi immediately slid down, but he didn't look away from Sakumo's weary gaze, standing still and straight. The look on his son's face was expectant and nervous, but accepting. A rush of pride filled his chest at the sight.

Kakashi's moral aptitude hadn't been something that he had learned, it was something that came with him when he was born into the world. Sure, he would push the boundaries and sometimes even cross them, but in the end he always knew when he'd done wrong and he bore his punishment silently.

Sakumo kneeled down so that he was nearly level with the young boy before him.

"Looks like she got you pretty good there, son." he smiled wryly, pushing aside a thin tuft of white hair to reveal the growing bruise on the toddler's temple. Kakashi grinned.

"But even so," he rocked back into a sitting position, tugging the small boy into his lap as he did, "I don't want to hear anything about you locking anymore little girls in your closet."

"Yes, sir."

"And I _especially _don't want to hear about any magical turtle that's been hiding away in your closet."

Kakashi tilted his head up to look at him through mischievously slitted eyes.

"I lied. Toru lives under my bed."

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

Sakumo trudged slowly up the creaking stairs, the small body of his toddler hanging limply over his shoulder.

In the end, he couldn't find it in himself to punish the boy. Be it the fact that he was already so tired from racking his brain to figure out the best way to tell Kakashi about his school-teacher's passing, or that he just couldn't keep an angry face up when confronted with the soft, gentle eyes of his late wife-Sakumo just didn't have it in him.

And besides, Kakashi seemed to have learned his lesson and, judging by the steadily-purpling bruise on the child's temple, Anko had already dished out a more than fair amount of retribution.

He shook his head to himself silently. He wondered, was there ever a child more inclined to collect a more extensive collection of bruises?

Sometimes he worried that Kakashi thought himself made of rubber for all the times he had seen him barreling recklessly through the house on his two tottering legs. He could count the number of times the boy had rocketed down the stairs and crashed smack into the wall at the bottom on all of his fingers and toes.

With a slow sigh that leveled somewhere between exasperation and fondness, Sakumo gently placed his little boy on his bed. He tugged up the sheets to Kakashi's chin, leaving the child un-tucked because he knew that Kakashi would only stretch his miniature limbs out anyway. Half-asleep, the little Hatake rolled over onto his tummy and turned his head to rest on his cheek, his white hair looking very fluffy and silverish against the smooth, white pillow-case.

Sakumo ran a large hand through the child's wayward mane, taking a small measure of relief from the soft warmth. He still didn't know what to tell him... How could he? -When Kakashi lay before him looking for all the world like nothing more than a baby, his fair face still soft with baby-fat and his small body dressed in pajamas that would normally fit a large two-year-old.

But before an answer could magically appear in his head, Sakumo felt something nibble on his big toe underneath Kakashi's bed.

Sliding his foot out and casting a mildly confused glance down at his feet, Sakumo was thoroughly surprised to see two shiny black eyes peering back up at him. His brows raised.

_So there is a turtle after all..._

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

_Heehee, sneaky Toru! Or should I say, sneaky Kakashi-kun! I can't decide if it would be a dream-come-true or a nightmare to have to baby-sit that kid lol. Anyway, I hope you enoyed this latest chapter, I know I had a lot of fun writing it. Reviews are always appreciated and hopefully, eventually, answered-so don't hesitate to share your opinion. _

_I won't be able to update for another week :( I'm sorry. But, it won't be because of writer's block or laziness, so don't worry!_

_Thanks again for reading!_

_~Flinty_


	3. Chapter 3

...

Miasma

...

...

Some crickets chirped loudly from the tall fronds of grass lining the side of the dirt road, their voices cutting loudly through the peaceful, misty morning, but Kakashi made no move to investigate the noise.

He walked slowly down the weather-beaten forest path that led from his secluded house down to the village, a slight frown marring his childish brow.

He wished that Tou-san had been able to walk him to the Academy today… He wanted the reassuring strength of his father's hand wrapped around his smaller one, the comforting growl of the man's low voice as he talked.

But Sakumo Hatake had been called on early this morning to go on a last-minute, high-urgency mission.

And Kakashi couldn't remember a time when he felt more lost.

Except perhaps for that time when he had gone running off after a stray dog when they were at the market and he had wandered around, sniffling and trembling, for hours before his dad had dropped down from an overhanging tree, picked him up, and carried him home.

He had learned an important lesson that day…

If he ever ran away again, his dad would sneakily follow him around while he cried and meandered aimlessly through the village streets, hiding from the cooing older ladies who, whenever they caught him, would brush his cheeks with their scratchy skirts and try to kiss him, hour after excruciating hour-just to teach Kakashi a _lesson_.

He felt just like that… except maybe a little less shy.

And, unlike before, this time his daddy wasn't going to swoop in, hold him, and clear all the confusion away with his steady, comforting presence.

Kakashi kicked at a stray pebble in his path, feeling an unexpected rush of animosity for the small rock.

He didn't want to go to school today.

…

Sakumo had woken his son up very early this morning. So early that the sky had just been a dark hue of foggy purple outside his window and the tree-leaves still slick with dew.

Kakashi remembered how excited he had been when it had been his Tou-san shaking _him_ out of bed, instead of the other way around this morning.

He had rolled out of bed in a whirlwind of excitement and twisted sheets, his little feet pitter-pattering quickly over the freezing floorboards (the cold feel of which normally incited him to begin an early-morning game of "Try and Get to the Door Without My Feet Touching the Floor"). He had rushed through his small breakfast, which he normally protested against because he wanted to go out and play instead, and he had felt very proud when he had managed to sneak half of it into the pocket of his pants for Touro. Usually dad caught him.

But mostly he remembered how, when he had begun his new favorite game of "Uh Oh, I Magically Forgot How to Dress Myself"; his father, instead of chuckling quietly to himself or rolling his eyes, had just distractedly swiped him up, dropped him onto his bed, and begun to put Kakashi's sandals on for him…

The toddler's pants had been swaddled around his head like a turban and his shirt tied around his neck like a cape...

So, when Kakashi had obediently followed his father around the backyard, helping him to pour dog-food into the nine brightly colored food bowls littering the patio-in naught but his turban, cape, superhero undies, and sandals-he had known for sure then that something was wrong.

In fact, it was only when the two of them were half-way out the gate of their fenced in backyard, Kakashi squirming uncomfortably as his daddy tugged him past a tall fern that tickled the bare skin of his belly, that Sakumo noticed his son's inappropriate attire.

So, after a half-hearted scolding and a quick change into his "Ordinary Person Disguise" (which he insisted take place inside his closet because it was shaped like a telephone booth), Kakashi had trotted back outside and let his father lead him to one of the small forest trails leading off from their backyard.

But his fingers had fiddled with his shirt hem anxiously at Sakumo's distracted, unhappy-looking expression. And his half-eaten breakfast had flopped uncomfortably inside him as he stepped into the shadowed glade of the tall trees.

Tou-san was worried about something.

And this in itself was enough to make Kakashi want to cling to the back of the jounin's pants leg as his father led him silently on through the hushed forest.

Tou-san was never worried.

Seeing his father looking so lost only magnified the fear that had begun to take shape within the little boy.

Finally, when it had begun to seem as though Sakumo might have been planning to travel to the very heart of the forest itself, they stopped.

His father sunk wearily onto the flat head of a mossy boulder jutting out from the side of the thin, winding trail. And Kakashi hadn't wriggled or let out a single noise of protest when his Tou-san's strong hands had picked him up and sat him down on his lap.

He didn't really know what his dad had been trying to say, so he had sat still and watched a fat beetle crawl up the cracked bark of an old tree while Sakumo talked and ran his hand slowly over Kakashi's soft baby hair.

It was only when his dad mentioned Suzuki-san, his Academy Instructor, that the little boy had really latched onto what was being said.

"_He was a good man, a very good man. I know that he wanted the best for you and-"_

"_What?"_

"_He wanted the-"_

"_No! What happened to Suzuki-sensei?"_

"_Ka… Kakashi, weren't you listening? Your sensei, he-"_

"_What happened to sensei? Why you talking like-"_

"_He's _gone_, Kakashi... Your friend is gone."_

…

"_He… where'd he go?"_

…

"_Tou-san?"_

"_Kashi, baby, sometimes when people go out on missions they don't come back. We never see them again."_

"_Never-why?... I don't… What-"_

But before his Tou-san had been able to explain any more than that, or even begin to wipe away the tears that had started to spill down Kakashi's cheeks-they had been interrupted.

A strong, dark presence had appeared suddenly, like a specter in the early morning mist, upon the trail beside them, its otherworldly aura of tightly-reigned power and hostility casting a deep shadow over the small family.

So suddenly had it appeared that Kakashi couldn't help but entertain the whispered fear that it might have been lurking there beside them, invisible and malicious, the whole time that they had been sitting in the quiet wood.

The black and white monster, thin and gaunt like a grinning skeleton, had spoken then with a man's voice-although Kakashi hadn't been able to make out what it said because he had buried his head in his father's shirt the instant it had appeared.

The creature's message had been short, but as soon as it was finished Sakumo had stood up, Kakashi still huddled in his arms, and started to walk briskly back to the house.

Once they got back his father had been a flurry of activity, gathering scrolls, weapons, and spare uniforms and stuffing them into his mission pack.

He had already strapped Kakashi's own school pack onto the toddler's back and was one step out the front door before Kakashi started crying.

He knew that his father was going on a mission and that he would have to walk himself to the Academy-that wasn't unusual-but for some reason, some inexplicable deep feeling within him told him that this was the last time that he would see his dad. That he'd never see his Tou-san again.

"_Daddy! Don't go!"_

His father turned around and finally saw the distraught, tear-streaked face of his son; the little boy's squinted gray eyes, glistening and filled to the brim with tears, his little legs folded out on either side of him as he sat, crumpled and small and pleading, on the dirty welcome mat at his feet.

Sakumo knelt down and lifted the boy up to a standing position, holding him steady with two heavy palms on each of the toddler's shoulders.

Kakashi scrubbed roughly at his eyes, angry that he was so afraid and that he was crying, but his dad caught his wrist in his large hand and stopped him. Sakumo waited until the toddler's wide eyes, bright and wet with tears, met with his own firm dark gaze, and then he spoke.

"_Kakashi… I will always. _Always_. Come back for you."_

…

Now, as Kakashi finished replaying the events of this morning inside of his head, he noticed that he had finally arrived at the academy.

Immediately he reprimanded himself for being so caught up in his memories. His Tou-san said it was the 'pitome of… fools to not pay attention to what was going on around you.

Feeling even more miserable at this, the boy made his way slowly by the small wooden swing hanging listlessly from the grizzled old tree outside of the Academy. He glanced up at the normally bright cheery windows on either side of the doorway, but found them to be dark and cold-looking.

He jerked to a stop.

For some reason a strong, nearly-overpowering urge to run away washed over him. Dread collected like heavy little balls of metal in his tummy, each drop rolling around and sending a fearful judder through him before it came to a stop.

The feeling grew the longer he stood there.

Kakashi didn't know if it was the dark-tinged events that had already transpired this morning, or if it was some other aspect of the weathered schoolhouse that only his subconscious picked up on-but, somehow, in the back of his mind, Kakashi couldn't shake off the heavy feeling that something bad was about to happen.

…

* * *

><p>…<p>

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?"

Sakumo straightened up slowly from his half-crouch on an overhanging branch, his sudden stop causing all of the ANBU operatives who had been running alongside him to wheel about in silent alarm. He regarded the various defensive positions that his "team" had fallen into with a cool, half-lidded stare.

ANBU. He hated ANBU.

And that was discounting the fact that one of them had apparently decided it was a good idea to drop in this morning, in the middle of him trying to describe to his little son what death was, and frighten Kakashi to tears.

Now, what father, shinobi or not, could abandon his child when he was needed most, leave for an unranked mission that he didn't even know the time parameters for, and be okay with that?

He knew nothing about this mission except for what he was able to figure out on his own…

Which basically came down to the fact that, if the lightning-quick ANBU at his sides were anything to go by, this was an urgent, high-level mission… And that, if he wasn't briefed soon, Konoha's Black Ops might gain a new understanding of why the White Fang was rumored to be on par with the Three Sannin.

Tsunade wasn't the only one with a temper…

Finally, when the only response he got was the sound of the early-morning breeze rustling through the leaves at his feet, Sakumo's brow ticked.

"You." His voice rang with authority as he turned his hard glare to the ANBU standing closest to him, "Brief me… _Now_."

The unspoken threat of what would happen if they failed to comply with his demands went unsaid, and it hung heavily in the air between the two ninja.

"Our apologies, Hatake-sama." The black and white garbed figure said lightly, "It is not protocol that ANBU operatives are briefed before the commencing of the-."

Before the ANBU could finish, Sakumo tore his gaze away from the man and moved it to the ANBU standing on his other side, dismissing the former entirely. That had told him nothing.

His other teammate, who was now the focus of the jounin's steely gaze, caught on quickly and supplied an explanation before Sakumo could even open his mouth to ask.

"We know as much as you, Hatake-sama," he said tonelessly, "The only information we were given was the location of the destination and the time-frame given to reach it."

Sakumo closed his eyes briefly and breathed out quietly through his nose.

Of course. Why had he expected any different?

The ANBU were treated like animals rather than soldiers-they were given orders without any background intel or explanation, it was expected for them to commit atrocious acts of violence and self-degradation at little more than a nod from their commanding officer. And, as if to cement their separation from the soft world of humanity, each one was branded with the face and name of an animal so as to cover up any illusion that the creature behind the mask had once been human.

The way Sakumo saw it he had no reason to respect the ANBU because they refused to respect themselves.

He opened his eyes wearily to see the flat white and black faces staring at him expressionlessly, waiting for him to give the order to continue their journey.

He nodded his head slightly and they took off silently, flitting eerily through the tangling branches before him as if they were nothing more than leaves scattered by the breeze.

Sakumo shook his head slowly to himself as he followed after them, leaping through the trees nimbly.

This mission couldn't have come at a worse time.

…

* * *

><p>...<p>

"Alright everyone, to your seats please." Aimi-san, the young female instructor of the class below theirs hushed them all, "Please, take a seat."

Kakashi scuffled quietly with an older boy for the chair nearest him, but, after a particularly rough yank to his hair, was forced to slide into a seat one row behind. He glared sullenly at the back of the boy's head, but the other child was too busy clutching his now-bruised nose to notice.

"Boys and girls." The young woman spoke crisply, her patience wearing thin, "Quiet down. I have an important announcement to-"

"Where's Suzuki-sensei?" a boisterous, loud mouthed boy called out from the third row.

"Suzuki-san recently went on a mission that-"

"Are you our teacher now?" a skinny, doe-eyed little girl with curly pig-tails raised her hand in the air politely.

Aimi-sensei opened her mouth to say something, but seemed change her mind midway and closed her mouth into a thin, pursed line.

"Suzuki-sensei is… well as some of you may know…"

She cast a helpless glance to her left, as if the slightly ajar door to the classroom might hold the answers in its chipped green paint.

"I will be your Instructor."

The deep, calm voice that suddenly issued from the classroom entrance caused a few students to jump in their seats. A tall, heavily muscled man followed the low voice into the room, his tread silent despite his loose stride. He came to a stop at the center of the room, clasping one arm behind his back in a commanding, militaristic stance and turned his head to regard the children slowly.

Silence fell over the room.

Kakashi quickly took in every aspect of the man's appearance.

Dressed in the full jounin outfit, the forest green vest left unzipped and the traditional blue sandals traded in for heavy, black combat boots, the man projected a simultaneously relaxed and strict aura. However, the most curious aspect of his appearance was the addition of a long, thick scarf that looped twice around his neck, draped over his head like a hood, and reached down to the length of his knees on one side. The scarf was the color of sun-bleached sand mixed with a faded clay tone, and it hung over the man's face like a cowl, casting all of his features in shadow.

Kakashi was immediately reminded of his own turban from this morning and he took an instant liking to the man.

"My name is Osamu Kenta." He reached up and pulled his hood back, revealing a craggy, angular face and deep-set eyes that were of a blue so dark they were nearly black. But what really captured Kakashi's attention was their new teacher's hair. He had a thick mane of long, grizzled, silver hair that he wore in a half tied-back style with the majority of it spilling over his shoulders limply.

He had hair just like Kakashi's Tou-san!

The man's dark eyes slid cooly over his chair, only to flicker back and fix on Kakashi with a momentary, unreadable stare. The little boy sat up straighter in his too-big seat.

"But you can all call me Osamu-sensei." Their new teacher continued, turning to pace languidly down the front of the classroom, "I will be your teacher for the remainder of the school year and I'm sure that we will all have a great time together."

He paused at the end of the first row and looked down at a young girl who had been looking up at him fearfully, and smiled. It was a surprisingly gentle, understanding grin that made him look infinitely more approachable.

Kakashi found himself smiling tentatively back, even though the man's gaze wasn't focused on him.

"I was with Suzuki-sensei on his last mission and I can say that he was one of my very good friends and that it's a hard thing for him to be gone…"

All of the children looked up at him then with varying expressions of wide-eyed awe or somber comprehension. Kakashi frowned slightly and he wondered if Osamu-sensei was sad because he missed his friend.

"But," he seemed to refocus himself, "He told me a lot about this class, and I could tell that he saw something in you that he thought was worth giving up his life for…"

Some of the children now had tears in their eyes. Two girls in the front row hugged each other, sniffling.

"So this year, I think our goal will be to make Suzuki-sensei proud and achieve all of the goals that he had set out for you. He had the faith that you could do it, and so do I."

There was a short pause in which Aimi-sensei, who had been standing and listening in the doorway as she held a soggy tissue to her nose, slipped over and whispered something into Osamu-sensei's ear before turning and exiting quietly out of the classroom.

"Everyone take out your Trap-Setting Level Four Textbooks and turn to Chapter Twelve, please."

Kakashi dove into his schoolbag and was the first one to have it out and ready on his desk, and he sat quiet and expectant on the edge of his seat, looking up at his new teacher with steadfast attention.

Osamu-sensei's dark eyes met his briefly and, although there was no change in expression on the older man's face, Kakashi could have sworn he saw a flash of approval in that shadowed gaze.

He desperately wanted to please this man, to earn his praise. And the only reason that he could think of as to why was because Osamu was so like his father, Sakumo-in everything from his calm, reassuring way of speaking to the man's tall stature and silver-hued hair, Kakashi's new teacher seemed to emulate everything that he loved about his Tou-san.

And, as Kakashi listened to their replacement teacher talk in rapt attention, he couldn't help but think how silly he had been. All traces of the heavy, foreboding feelings that had assaulted him as he entered the Academy seemed so foolish now.

How could Kakashi feel unsafe when the low, gentle voice that sounded so much like his father's was speaking to him? The little boy closed his eyes briefly and, for one second, let himself believe that it actually was his father in his classroom reading lessons to him.

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

_Alright, before I say anything else, I just have to tell you all that at the exact second when I submitted the latest chapter for SafeHouse-I experienced my first earthquake._

_No joke. I clicked my mouse and then everything started shaking. It was crazy!_

_But everything is fine :) I'm fine! And I'm back and updating regardless!_

_Anyway, there's one thing I'd like to mention here because it really won't be touched on again in any other chapters in this story, and I just think it's pretty interesting. I know that the way I wrote this chapter I made it seem like Sakumo didn't approve of ANBU and that it frightened Kakashi. At first I wasn't really sure why I did this but then I realized that it was because I feel like it makes Kakashi's eventual joining of ANBU all the more relevant. I could really go more into depth on this topic, but I don't want to bore anyone. So, if you're interested and want to talk to me more about it you can send me a message or (even better!) review!_

_Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and please review!_

_~Flinty_


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